Sometimes it helps me understand Scripture better when I try and read the stories as if I were one of the original audience. And when reading the gospel accounts, it is especially helpful to read these stories through the lens of a first century Jew.

And this is incredibly helpful in the case of Mark 5 to uncover a secondary purpose in recording these stories.

Jesus’ first stop after calming the storm was the land of the Gerasenes. These were Gentile people who worshiped pagan Gods. They were not of the nation of Israel. They were not Jews. They did not worship YHWH. This should be the first red flag.

You are to be holy to me because I, the LORD, am holy, and I have set you apart from the nations to be my own. Leviticus 20:26

The first person who meets them is a man with an “unclean” spirit who lives among the tombs. So not only was he possessed by an army of demonic/ unclean/ evil spirits, but he also lived in and around open graves full of rotting corpses.

Anyone out in the open who touches someone who has been killed with a sword or someone who has died a natural death, or anyone who touches a human bone or a grave, will be unclean for seven days. Numbers 19:16

Gentile nation (X)
Unclean Spirit (X)
Contact with graves and dead bodies (X)

That’s three strikes already! But it gets worse: They were right next to a pig field.

And the pig, though it has a split hoof completely divided, does not chew the cud; it is unclean for you. You must not eat their meet or touch their carcasses; they are unclean for you. Leviticus 11:7-8

Herd of 2,000+ pigs (X)

It doesn’t get much more unclean than this for a good, orthodox Jew. But Jesus stands his ground and instead of taking the uncleanness on himself, he makes the unclean clean again.

Wait. What?

Then he heads over to the other side where there are crowds pushing in around him. He is on his way to heal a sick little girl of the synagogue leader when he feels someone touch him and absorb some healing power. He discovers it was a woman with a bleeding problem.

When a woman has a discharge of blood for many days at a time other than her monthly period or has a discharge that continues beyond her period, she will be unclean as long as she has the discharge, just as in the days of her period. Any bed she lies on while her discharge continues will be unclean…and anything she sits on will be unclean… Whoever touches them will be unclean; he must wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he will be unclean until evening. Leviticus 15:25-27

This woman has been bleeding for 12 years! Imagine, not being allowed to touch anyone or have anyone sit with you for 12 years. And she had the audacity to touch a rabbi, a holy man! She would have been severely punished for this offense. But Jesus didn’t become unclean. In fact, he made the unclean woman clean again.

Huh?

Finally, they get to Jairus house only to discover that his daughter has already died. There’s nothing that can be done, so they think. Then Jesus takes the girl by the hand and whispers softly to her.

Whoever touches the dead body of anyone will be unclean for seven days. Leviticus 19:11

But Jesus doesn’t become unclean. He replaces the unclean with the clean once again.

You see, to the Jew the cleanliness laws were set in place so that they could be holy, like God. But unclean always trumped clean. And unclean human always made a clean human unclean as well. That’s just how it worked. To become clean again there were a whole bunch of rites and rituals that had to be performed in the presence of a priest so that God could restore the clean state of the person.

How could a man come into contact with a graveyard, a man with an unclean spirit, a heard of pigs and still remain clean? How could someone be touched by a woman with a bleeding issue and still remain clean? How could anyone touch a dead body and not be pronounced unclean on the spot?

Who can make the unclean clean again but God alone? Exactly.

This is my 200th post! And of all my posts thus far, this one has the most important message. The implications of this post cannot be ignored.

Mark 4 begins by relating four of Jesus’ parables. It is Jesus’ longest teaching section in Mark’s gospel so far. And then, Mark describes four incredible miracles done by Jesus. Mark is very particular about the stories and the details he includes. It’s easy to take each of the following miracles on its own, break it down, and find the meaning behind it – like I did with my last post. But that is not what Mark intended to be done.

If you notice while reading through this series of miracles [Mark 4:35-5:43] occurs within the span of 24 hours. That night he calmed the storm. That morning he drove out the demon. That afternoon/evening he healed the woman with uncontrollable bleeding, and he raised a little girl from the dead. If I could go back and be with Jesus during just one day of his ministry, this would be it!

Like I said, Mark has a reason behind every detail, every description, every series of events in his gospel account. So what is tying these seemingly separate and distinct miracles together?

Here’s the first thing these stories have in common:
4:37   There was a natural disaster that nobody could manage
5:3-5   There was a demon nobody could restrain
5:25-26   There was a disease that nobody could cure
5:35   There was a dead girl – what can be done after death?

Think about it – we are still powerless about these very same things today! We can predict when and where the hurricane will hit, but we are powerless to stop it. We can do our best to rid ourselves of our own demons, but people still fall to temptations and addictions. We can treat the symptoms of cancer, Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, ALS, and AIDS, but we cannot cure them. And people still die. When it comes to these very enemies – disaster, demons, disease, and death – we have no more power over them than we did 2,000 years ago!

Secondly, check out this next connection:
4:41   When the storm was calmed, the disciples were terrified
5:15   The townspeople were afraid when they saw the previously possessed man made well
5:33   The woman was afraid for her life when Jesus called her out of the crowd
5:36   Jairus was fearing the worst when he heard that his daughter had died

Our lives are often plagued by fear, worries, and anxieties. It’s a frightening thing to be under a tornado watch. It’s terrifying to think about the evil that continues to fill this world because of Satan and his demons. The fear itself in the face of a terminal illness can be crippling. And the fear of death is one of the greatest fears across the board of humanity. But when we, in our vulnerable humanity, come face to face with one who DOES have power over disaster, demons, disease, and death, it can be infinitely more terrifying!

Finally, notice one of the greatest similarities of these four stories:
4:39   With a word, Jesus stops the storm dead in its tracks
5:13   With a word, Jesus drives this army of demons out of the man and into a heard of pigs which then run into the Sea, thus destroying the demons
5:29   Without even knowing it, Jesus healed the woman’s incurable disease
5:42   With a gentle touch and a caring word, Jesus raised the little girl back from the dead

Jesus demonstrates complete control over the uncontrollable storm. Jesus tames the demon that nobody could bind. Jesus instantly heals the disease that couldn’t be cured. Jesus calmly stares death in the face and treats it simply as sleep.

What man can do these things?

The answer is implied in the question. No human has the power within himself to do these things. The key to understanding Mark’s purpose in telling these four stories like this can be found right in between the first two and the last two. When Jesus is giving final instruction to the man who just had the demon cast out, he says: “Go…and tell them how much the Lord has done for you…” (5:19)

Who did these things for him? The Lord.

The Lord was Israel’s word for God. Since they couldn’t say his name, YHWH, for fear of blasphemy, they would say Adonai, which is Hebrew for Lord.

So the man when back to his hometown and told people about what Jesus had done for him. This is crucial! If Mark did not want us to associate Jesus with Lord, he would have said, “So the man went away and began to tell…how much the Lord had done for him.” But he says the guy went and told how much Jesus had done for him.

The only explanation of this man’s proclamation, and indeed the only explanation for these miracles, is that Jesus is Lord. Jesus is God. Jesus is YHWH in the flesh. Jesus is Emmanuel – God with us.

Who can control the oceans but God alone? Exactly.
Who can have this kind of authority over demons but God? You’re right.
What can man do about incurable disease? Yes.
What can man do about death itself? Right on.

The answer is in the question. Jesus is Lord. He is Lord over disaster. He is Lord over demonic forces. He is Lord over disease. Indeed, He is Lord over death itself.

Jesus is Lord.

Jesus had just finished a long, hard day of teaching people who didn’t have a clue what he was talking about. Some preachers and youth ministers can relate to that… So after he had been teaching – standing up in a boat, in the sun, all day – he told his disciples to pile into the boat an head over to the other side of the Sea of Galilee. Keep in mind, four of these guys (Peter, Andrew, James, and John) were professional fishermen. Their entire lives had revolved around the lake. If it looked like a storm was coming, they would have waited to set out. But there was no indication that THE storm was in the forecast. In fact, this is probably what the lake looked like as they set off:

Calm. Serene. The sky turning from blue to yellow to orange, and the water doing the same. The calm before the storm.

As the sun went down, the wind picked up, storm clouds blew in, and things took a turn for the worse. Cool, dry air from the mountain range east collided with the warm, moist air from the lake – ingredients for mega thunderstorms. Sudden storms were not uncommon on the lake, so the professional fishermen should have known how to handle it. But they couldn’t. This was something bigger than they were used to.

Place yourself in that boat – 27 feet long by 8 feet wide with a mast, sail, oars, nets. Possibly thirteen men were occupying this small space while being rained on from above, drenched from the sides by the waves breaking over the boat. There is zero visibility as they yell out orders to secure the sails! bail out the water! tie down the nets! hold on to each other! brace yourselves! Where’s Jesus?!

He’s in the back of the boat…asleep…on a cushion…

Now I’ve slept through some thunderstorms, but this is ridiculous. You can sense the anger and frustration in the disciples’ voices: “Wake up! Don’t you care if we drown?!” We need all the hands we can get! Grab a bucket and start bailing! Do something! Anything!

Sometimes we forget who’s in the boat with us. They had seen Jesus heal people with all types of diseases. They had seen him drive out demons. All signs point to the fact that he is someone special, someone unique. But they didn’t make the connection that Jesus is Emmanuel – God With Us. The creator of the heavens and the earth – the second member of the Trinity – the Word made flesh – the Fullness of God – was there in the boat with them. And they think he would just let them drown?

This is just one of many instances in Mark’s gospel account where the disciples – those closest to Jesus – just didn’t get it. However, they only reacted how most of us tend to react when we go through storms. When things start falling apart around us and all we know is swept into chaos (darkness and the sea were common expressions of chaos, evil, and turmoil in the ancient world) – it’s easy to sit back and think that God doesn’t care. It’s easy to forget who’s in the boat with us and to forget that he is ultimately in control of everything.

He’s got it covered.

So he got up and rebuked the wind and the waves. Keep in mind, Jesus also “rebuked” the demons when he was driving them out. This was not a meek and gentle request. This was a stern command and chastisement, better translated, “Shut up and calm down!” And the wind immediately stopped, the clouds scattered, and not a ripple was left in the lake.

Jesus turned around and asked his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?”

And in this part of the story, we would expect the disciples to breathe a sigh of relief, praise God, and continue on their voyage. But note their reaction: they were terrified.

They were afraid during the storm. But they were terrified after it.

Sometimes we forget who’s in the boat with us. They were confused. They thought Jesus was a rabbi, maybe even a prophet, but who can control the sea but God alone? The answer is in the question. For the ancients, and even for us today, the sea was a source of incredible, unmanageable power. No one could, and no one can control the sea. We have ways of protecting ourselves, but we can’t stop the hurricane from hitting land. We can’t divert the tornado. We can’t prevent the earthquake.

And if creation itself is this unmanageable, how much more so the Creator of it all? Jesus himself could not be managed, could not be redirected, could not be stopped. Jesus was on a mission, and nothing, not even the fullest expression of evil and chaos, was going to slow him down.

Before we start trying to tame Jesus and make him into something he is not, let us pause to remember that the Creator cannot and will not be wrangled, captured, or bagged and tagged by his own creation.

Don’t forget who is in your boat.

Have you ever really paid attention to the way Jesus taught people? Comparing Jesus and Paul in the area of teaching style is like those old Mac Vs. PC commercials. Paul is very black and white, doctrine-focused, very left-brained, Bible-nerd. Paul loved lists. He loved extensive, logic-filled arguments. This is to be expected since he was an up-and-coming Pharisee/lawyer. That’s just the way his brain worked and processed.

Jesus, however, had a much different teaching style. His favorite way to teach was through the use of parables. Jesus was a storyteller. But these were not merely fables or cautionary tales. They were multifaceted, intricate, truth-packed stories about the kingdom of God.

Mark finally lets us in on what Jesus had been teaching by recounting several of Jesus’ parables. In fact, Mark says that, “He did not say anything to them without using a parable” 4:34 (Nice double-negative, Mark!)

Jesus begins this section of teaching by inviting the crowds to “Listen!” (4:3). But this is more than a teacher calling his students to attention. This word, “Listen,” would have struck an immediate cord with the Jewish audience because it is the Greek equivalent of the Hebrew, “Shema!” The Great Shema (Deuteronomy 6:4-5) was the ultimate statement of faith for the Jews. “Hear (Listen), O Israel…” This would have immediately gotten their attention. Jesus was about to say something big. He was about to give them truth about the nature of God and his kingdom. Drum roll, please….

And then he tells about a small time farmer with a small patch of good land who raised a mediocre harvest (4:3-8).

And we’re surprise by how confused the people were?

Those closest to him didn’t even understand. He had to take his disciples aside and explain the meaning of this and every other parable. So if those who were around him 24/7 couldn’t fully understand his teaching without having him explain it, how could others in the crowd possibly get it?

That’s exactly the point.

Jesus tells these stories for a few different reasons:
1) It’s hard to argue about a story. Jesus isn’t laying out some systematic theology with points and subpoints which the religious leaders could then pick apart and spur on arguments and debates. He’s simply telling a story. Those who are open to it will seek further understanding. Those who would oppose his teaching anyway will leave with…just a story.

2) Similarly, Jesus is ushering in a true revolution. He is the Messiah, the Christ, the Deliverer, the King. There is no denying that. But he is not delineating a list of grievances against the Romans. He is not rallying troops with motivational speeches. He is not, in other words, leading a revolution like has been seen before. His revolution is not against Rome – it’s against Satan. He didn’t come to defeat men – he came to defeat death. To ensure that his message could take full root and spread far and wide, he had to keep his message somewhat veiled.

These first two points are made clear by Jesus’ use of Isaiah 6:9-10. He knew some would not, even could not get it immediately. And that was okay.

3) Most importantly, Jesus taught in parables to draw people out of the crowd. If all they wanted was see some miracles and hear some good stories, they got that and then left. But if they wanted true understanding, true depth, then they had to stick around and ask the teacher. Jesus was more than happy to explain the meaning of these parables to anybody who wanted to hear. Otherwise, they would just be on their merry way with a new story to tell.

The key is that a response is required by the listener. Just like the harvest is left up to the soil, it up to you to make the move. Are you content to just sit in the crowd waiting to see what happens next? Or are you ready to step out of the crowd and get up close and personal with Jesus so that you can really see what he’s showing you and really hear what he’s telling you?

It’s time to listen up!

Who is Jesus?

This question is one of, if not the pivotal question. Who is Jesus? Was he just a teacher, a healer, a miracle worker? Was he a made-up character? Was he just a founder of a new religion like Muhammad, Siddhartha, or Joseph Smith? Or was he really the Son of God?

This is the ultimate question. The answer you give to this question is number one most important answer. This answer has complete bearing on the entire course of your life.

Who is Jesus?

This is a question that people have been trying to answer since the time a little baby was born in a manger in Bethlehem. People are still asking it and wrestling with it today. And Mark was especially interested in answering this question for his readers.

In Mark 3, we see an interesting attempt at some religious leaders to answer this very question. Who is Jesus? Well, obviously he must be a servant of Satan. (o.O)

You see, Jesus had been going around healing people and casting out demons. He was single-handedly overthrowing the powers of darkness and evil. The answer to their question is so glaringly obvious, but it’s not an answer they like.

For them to admit that he was casting out demons by the power of God meant that they would allow for him to be considered one of God’s holy servants. Only those in good standing with God could receive this kind of power through him (think Moses and the Prophets who also did miraculous signs). And if this is the case – if Jesus is in good standing and is blessed by God – then his teachings were legitimized. And these were not teachings that the religious leaders liked.

So for them to admit that Jesus was doing these things by the power of God would be to concede defeat and forfeit their pomp, pride, and prestige. And who wants to do that?

So keep in mind that these religious leaders are calling Jesus a servant of Satan (o.O) But earlier in that same chapter, we see demons acknowledging him as the Son of God! (Mark 3:11-12)

Jesus knows what their saying, so in response he quotes Abraham Lincoln, “A nations divided against itself cannot stand.” (Just kidding, Abe quoted Jesus here, but Shhh…don’t tell the government). Jesus is using a parable to point out the absurdity of their claim. Satan is not waging war on himself. This is a full frontal attack on Satan by the armies of heaven, with Jesus as the general leading the charge.

Then he says something that gets a lot of Christians all wound up and anxious, “I tell you the truth, all the sins and blasphemies of men will be forgiven them. But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven. He is guilty of an eternal sin.” Just a brief note about this – 1)If you are a Christian, you have no reason to worry about this. Pay attention to that first part about forgiveness. 2)This is an ongoing blaspheme. Whoever continually denies the saving power of the Holy Spirit at work in the world without ever repenting.

I’ll leave you with one of my favorite teachings from C.S. Lewis’ Mere Christianity:

A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would be either a lunatic – on a level with a man who says he is a poached egg – or else he would the the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God: or else a madman or something worse. You can shut him up for a fool, you can spit at him and kill him as a demon; or you can fall at his feet and call him Lord and God. But let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to.

Last Sunday we talked about Jesus’ disciples. We talked about the process of becoming a disciple (as seen in the video below), and we talked about the little we know of some of the disciples. We really only know a little bit about 7 of the 12. But one thing we know about all of them was that they weren’t good enough to become any disciples of any other rabbi. They were average Joe’s, if not a little below average in some cases!

What really sticks out to me about this particular passage is that Mark gives a slightly different job description than Matthew and Luke. Mark says that Jesus called these 12 guys to him so that they might 1) Be with him, 2) Be sent out to preach, and 3) Have authority to drive out demons. Matthew and Luke do not include 1 and 2. It’s almost as if Mark has a more universal view of discipleship. Not everyone has the power to drive out demons or to heal diseases (Matthew 10:1), but everyone can have the chance to be with Jesus and to go out and preach.

Be with Jesus
We all have different categories of relationships. Not everybody can really be considered a “friend” (sorry, Facebook). There are strangers, acquaintances, co-workers, friends, good friends, best friends, mentors, teachers, students, family, extended family, spouse, child, parent…the list goes on. This is just how our brains handle all the different types of people we interact with.

The relationship between disciple and rabbi was a truly unique one. When it says they would be with Jesus, this supersedes practically every other relationship. We see sons leaving their parents, employees leaving their employers, husbands separating from their wives for a time – just to be with their rabbi. And they would be with him nearly 24/7 for however long they were discipled to him.

How many of us can say that we are truly WITH Jesus? Does he get 24/7 access to your life or do you just lump him into one of the other categories mentioned above? We sing the songs “I’ll Be a Friend to Jesus,” and “What a Friend We Have in Jesus.” Well, what kind of friend? A good friend? A best friend? A Facebook friend? Being a friend and being a disciple are two completely different things.

Be Sent Out to Preach
But preaching is what that one guy does for that thirty minutes on Sunday mornings. I’m no preacher.

News Flash: If you’re a disciple, you are a preacher. Preaching comes with the territory. It’s a two-fer-one deal. No, not everybody is supposed to get up on Sunday mornings and deliver a thirty minute sermon. But preaching is so much more than that. The preaching that Jesus and his disciples did was simply proclaiming the good news about the kingdom of God (Mark 1:14-15).

As his disciple, we are expected to carry on Jesus’ message – God is establishing his kingdom on earth, and this movement is for everybody! God loves everybody! God wants to save everybody! We don’t have to live with guilt and regret over past sins and screw-ups because Jesus took all that to the cross. His blood has wiped all that away! That’s good news. Preach it wherever you are and however you can.

Have Authority to Drive Out Demons
This one is a little more tricky. This was a very specific ability granted to these apostles. Jesus came to wage war on the powers of Satan. Releasing people from these evil forces was a central component to the ushering in of God’s Kingdom (see Mark 3:23-27).

No, I don’t think demons posses people today like they did in Jesus’ day. Satan is fighting a losing battle, and he knows that God has already won the war. But as Jesus’ disciples, we are still given the authority and power to battle against the powers of evil wherever we encounter them (Ephesians 6:10-18).

True Discipleship
I think we all need to do a better job of learning what it means to be Jesus’ disciple. It’s far more than just showing up to church once or twice a week. Do you really know Jesus? Are you really WITH him, or are you okay with just an arm’s-length friendship?

Check out this video if you have the time:

I love religion. Religion fascinates me. Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Buddhism, Hinduism, Jainism, Sikhism, and a bunch of other -isms… they’re all intriguing to me. In fact, you would be hard pressed to find a culture throughout history that was not at least somewhat religious. Mankind has set out to find God from the very beginning. In fact, archaeologists have recently discovered a 12,000 year old temple! This means that religion – not agriculture – could be the reason for the beginning of civilizations. People came together for religious rituals long before they came together to farm, buy, sell, or trade.

And we like religion. We like religion because it means we are in control. If we say the right prayers, offer the right sacrifices, and observe the right rituals, then the gods owe us their good favor. If we choose not to do these certain things, or if we break certain laws, then we are sure to receive the wrath and punishment from whatever god we angered.

It’s a very simple, straightforward system. If you do (X) and avoid (Y), you will be blessed. If you do not do (X) or if you do (Y), then you will be cursed. All the power is in our hands. Can you imagine having that much control over your eternal destiny?

But in this system, there is no room for grace (getting the blessings you don’t deserve) or mercy (not getting the punishments you do deserve). It’s all up to you, but if you mess up, you are still on your own.

This is seen clearly in two back-to-back encounters that Jesus has with the Pharisees in the book of Mark. At the end of chapter 2 and the beginning of chapter 3, we see Jesus and the Pharisees at odds over the observance of the Sabbath day.

Observing the Sabbath day and keeping it holy is one of the Ten Commandments… so it’s kind of a big deal. God wanted his people to rest on the 7th day of the week – just like he did in Genesis 2. God worked on 6 days, rested on the 7th. Six days on, one day off. It gave life a rhythm of sorts. 6 and 1, 6 and 1, 6 and 1. It was a day to rest, to take a break, to re-energize, to reconnect with God and creation. It was a GIFT of REST! A rest that I and any new parent out there desperately needs.

But the Pharisees, because of their religion, had taken a gift and turned it into a burden. They created a list of do’s and don’ts concerning the Sabbath day…and it was a ridiculous list.

Then Jesus comes along and refuses to buy into their interpretation, their understanding of what the Sabbath was about. He and his disciples had no food – so they picked grain on the Sabbath. There was a man with a withered hand – so Jesus healed him on the Sabbath. The Pharisees had completely lost sight of the original intent of the Sabbath – to restore, to heal, to refresh – that they even prohibited to act of doing good on God’s holy day!

Religion had become more important than people. Rules were more important than healing. But Jesus said, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.”

Think about all the things we get so legalistic about – church attendance, worship, doctrines, etc. And then fill in the blank: “____(X)___ was made for man, not man for ____(X)____.”

Not that those things aren’t important. But if we place the emphasis on anything but the gospel – the good news – that Jesus has come to bring something completely different, then we have missed the point completely.

This is a pretty popular video, but give it a look again. I think he’s speaking the same message that Jesus was speaking to the Pharisees.

Have you ever stopped to think about the kind of people you go to church with? For the most part, I would guess that your fellow church members are pretty good people. They aren’t murderers, thieves, or rapists. The vast majority would be well behaved, upstanding citizens. You probably feel safe with the people at your church.

But what about the people who first followed Jesus? In Mark 2:13-17 we see Jesus calling another disciple. He has already called 4 guys, two sets of brothers who were fishermen. These were your blue collar, time-card punching, guys whose language was only slightly less foul than their body odor after a long day on the lake. Not your typical suit and tie, third row center church goers. And now he calls a guy named Levi.

When thinking about the people in your church, I doubt any of them are murderers or thieves. But is there anyone who would be considered a traitor to your country? No?

Levi was a tax collector. Strike one! We don’t like for people to take our money and give it to others without our say so. Levi probably took more than he should have. Strike two! Tax collectors could with full authority take more than was necessary and pocket their profits. Levi worked for the Romans. Strike three!

There are not words appropriate for this blog to describe how orthodox Jews felt towards tax collectors. In fact, they had their own category. There were “sinners” and then there were “tax collectors.” Traitor! Thief! Hypocrite! Backstabber!

And along comes Jesus, this traveling rabbi, healer, and general holy man. He passes by Levi’s table (probably passing a long line of disgruntled citizens along the way) and says, “Follow me.” Really Jesus?

Levi immediately got up, flipped over his “Closed” sign, and went to lunch with Jesus. And then as they were going to lunch, Levi calls up all his tax collector buddies and all his friends from the local tavern and brothel while he’s at it. This is not the kind of luncheon your parents would want you going to.

Unfortunately, far too many “Christians” take the attitude of the Pharisees in this instance: “Why does he eat with tax collectors and ‘sinners’?”

We have an image to uphold.

Don’t you know those people are just going to take advantage of you?

Sure they are repenting now, but they’ll be right back to it in a couple weeks.

We should take care of our own first before reaching out to “those people”.

I’m not comfortable around that person.

Someone else can minister to them.

They got themselves into that situation. They deserve whatever they get.

Two thoughts: 1) Last time I checked, following Christ is not about being “safe” or “comfortable.” Jesus was never concerned about PR or his “image” except the image of God that he was reflecting – the image of a loving, forgiving, compassionate God who wants to save everybody! 2) Last time I checked, none of us is safe. We are all broken, messed up people who continually sin and fall short of God’s glory. We all deserve God’s wrath, but he chose instead to take that wrath upon himself so that we might experience his grace.

Jesus said in response: “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

Followers of Christ should follow Christ’s mission. If we aren’t reaching the people Jesus reached, then maybe we’re not really his followers.

Leprosy is and has always been a terrible disease. Today it can be treated with a series of antibiotics. We know the cause, we know the treatments, and we know that it is not nearly as contagious as was feared until somewhat recently. Unfortunately, there are still many people in the world who contract leprosy and are unable to gain access to the necessary treatments. And this is the result:

One of the main symptoms of leprosy is the loss of sensation in the hands and feet. Nerve endings in the skin become numb to all sensations – including pain. Thus, a scratch, prick, or burn can go unnoticed for quite some time – which leads to infection. If these infections go untreated, which is as likely in undeveloped nations today as it was in ancient Israel, then fingers, toes, and entire limbs may need to be amputated. The untreated disease will eventually cause the infected person a slow, miserable death as his organs gradually succumb to infection and shut down.

Under the Law of Moses, persons with such skin infections were commanded to be cut off from the rest of society. They were ceremonially unclean and were forced to live alone outside the city (Leviticus 13:45-46). There was no hope. There was nothing anyone could do.

Until Jesus of Nazareth came along, healing people and driving out demons.

In Mark 1:40, a man with leprosy came to Jesus. A leper was forbidden to approach those who were clean under penalty of death. In fact, they had to yell out, “Unclean!” so that people could keep their distance. This man approached Jesus unannounced – risking death.

We don’t know much about this man. But can you imagine? He might have had to leave his wife and children without ever getting to hug them and kiss them good-bye. He couldn’t work. He had no social life. He was cut off from the synagogue, so he couldn’t even worship God or go to the Temple to offer sacrifices. He might not have felt the touch of another human being in years! He was probably disfigured, unable to stand straight. Missing a few fingers and toes. Oozing, bleeding sores all over his body.

This really was his one last shot.

“If you are willing, you can make me clean.” What faith! He had never met Jesus. Up to this point Jesus had never healed anyone with leprosy. But this man knew without a doubt that Jesus was his one chance. He had full confidence that Jesus could heal him. The only question was – would He? Would Jesus dare get involved with this guy?

Jesus is willing. He says the words, “Be clean,” and the leprosy immediately left the man. That would be an awesome end to the story right there. Except we’re given this detail: Filled with compassion, Jesus reached out His hand and touched the man.

Jesus does the unthinkable. He touches a leper! That was considered a death sentence in His day. Anyone who touched something/someone unclean became themselves unclean. Why would he do that? There are other times when he heals lepers just by saying the word – no physical contact needed (Luke 17:11-14).

This is just the first time we see Jesus do this throughout Mark’s gospel. He meets peoples’ needs – not just their physical needs but their spiritual and emotional needs, too. Jesus could have just said the words and this man would have been healed. But this man needed more. He needed the loving contact of another human being. Jesus’ touch was a touch of compassion and love. There is power in human touch beyond that of Jesus’ physical healing. This was an emotional healing, too.

Jesus touched the untouchable. He took this man’s uncleanness upon Himself. He leveled the playing field and came down to that man’s level. That’s what this man needed. And it’s what you and I need on a daily basis.

The gospel of Mark is definitely in my top 4 books about Jesus. Get it?

But seriously, Mark is such an interesting take on Jesus’ life. From the very beginning we see Jesus going, doing, teaching, healing, driving out demons, and gathering a massive following. Mark loves the word “immediately.” It’s just one thing after another.

To the Roman reader, this would have been business as usual. Romans were pretty much workaholics. Sun up to sun down, seven days a week, except for certain holidays and festivals. Time off was rare. If you didn’t work, you didn’t eat. It was dog-eat-dog. So it makes sense why Mark would portray Jesus as a man of action. Always on the go. Always with things to do, places to go, and people to see. A fully booked schedule.

And it’s right in the middle of it all that we see Jesus doing something out of the ordinary. He took time to REST. Not just sleeping in on a Saturday or lounging on the couch watching football all afternoon kind of rest. But this was a truly rejuvenating rest. It was a chance for him to escape the crowds and focus on the one relationship that really matters – his relationship with God.

Mark tells us that Jesus went out early in the morning even before the sun came up. He found a solitary place and prayed. He disconnected. He unplugged. He logged off. He silenced all the distractions around him and focused.

How many of us need that today? Across the board, Americans are the most overworked people of all the developed nations. We work the longest days with the least time off. Add to that the constant beeping, buzzing, and dinging of our devices trying to pull our already stretched attention in just one more direction. We have to drop everything we’re doing and respond to that text, that email, that phone call. Because if we don’t, others will think they aren’t important to you! We feel guilty for ignoring someone who isn’t even taking the time to talk with you in person.

With all our busy-ness, our relationships are suffering. Family and friends are placed second to work, and God is LUCKY if he gets a whole hour out of an entire week!

Things haven’t changed much since Jesus’ day. This is evident in the words of Jesus’ disciples when they finally track him down (How did they ever survive without cell phones?). When they find him, they are upset that he has been ignoring them and everyone else: “Everyone is looking for you!”

It’s so easy for us to feel guilty for wanting to take some time to ourselves. But if Jesus needed that time, then how much more do we?!

Take a deep breath, and then press the power button. Close your “Windows,” log off, sign out, and unplug. But not just for yourself. Do this so that you can connect to God, be plugged in to His Spirit, and zoom in on His Word.

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